Where to now? The challenge is remaining upright because of scree underfoot.
Eastern Europe or Oregon, lands of forests. We commenced from more than 3,000 feet below. Alternately, we counted 1.2 billion trees on the way up before losing the tally.
Lending a hand.
One of many climbs as we spent hours rock scrambling over two days.
We returned from a hike simultaneously with Sergi and Lluis, two Spanish young gentlemen, and at the gate where we met, Lluis announced he would be preparing dinner for us all that evening. It was also the 27th birthday of Sergi.
“We are vegetarians though, Lluis,” we replied, and also hesitant about the cooking skills of the young man.
“No problem. I will be making the best Spanish omelette you have ever tasted.”
“What ingredients do you need?” Jen asked.
“Eggs, potatoes and onions.”
“What about salsa and jalapinos?” asked the person who knows nothing about culinary issues.
Lluis retorted, quite miffed, “I said Spanish omelette, not Mexican.” At that stage, I decided to take a backseat although being tired, I thought of taking a nap before dinner.
“What time should we eat?” Lluis asked. We know Europeans eat dinner late while we tend to eat earlier. Our compromise was 8pm, rather late for a Sunday night. When we tallied the number of eggs we had on hand and vegetables, Jen and I sneaked to the store and replenished stocks. Unbeknown to us, Lluis did the same so we had enough for a giant dinner. Jen would be preparing her delightful salad, bread was aplenty and the company was superb. At one stage, Lluis and I were involved in a discussion of healthy foods, avoiding salad dressings which I like, too much, as well as spicy ingredients, also a favorite. He explained that was all unnecessary as it detracted from the taste of the food. When he began to cry I wondered what I could possibly have said to upset him so badly. Then I realized he was peeling onions. The discussions were enjoyable and provided us with another perspective of the younger generation, a very good one. Wise young men. In fact, both are engineers with a good sense of understanding of life’s issues. (continues at end...)
Wonderful views into the upper valley.
Coming down the wrong way, about to turn.
"I need to eat now and I don't care where...". Apparently, she meant it.
Almost a vertical cliff but comfortable.
En route, much variation.
In many places, not having ropes is, in fact, fine provided the rocks are sharp, allowing for traction.
On the way down but not hopefully, out.
Marvelous scenery and then some ...
Full concentration for obvious reasons because 'life is a narrow bridge'. Always look up.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
Time was marching on and when 8:30pm arrived, we had not sat down to eat although the work-in-progress looked appetizing. I went over to my computer and Lluis moved close to the stove and placed the large frying pan onto a hotplate. A couple of minutes later, he announced dinner was almost ready. I looked up and watched as he began to lift the heavy pan. He seemed to perform some unusual steps. I understand he had to raise the pan and then turn it upside down so that the food could be placed on the serving plate. It looked like a tough move because the pan was big and heavy, the food filled it and of course, it was hot. I watched with interest because not only did he appear to have the culinary skills, but he seemed to exude the flare of a chef. I heard a shout and was surprised to see Lluis struggling with the pan as he made the flip.
I was extremely puzzled as I thought he would be placing the omelette on the serving plate. I was wrong. It appears that the Spaniards eat eggs off the floor. Why do I say this? On the kitchen floor, spread over a wide area lay the contents of the frying pan comprising at least ten eggs, half a dozen potatoes and many onions. Unusual, I thought, but each culture has its distinctive flavor—perhaps, that’s how the Spanish omelette derives its. Truth is, the handle of the pan broke and that’s why the food landed where it did. Meantime, the owners arrived and we stood around trying to understand why and what had happened. A salvage operation was out of the question although mopping up was a priority.
Sergi, probably the wisest of us all, called for another pan and determined he would continue with dinner preparation, this time it would be scrambled eggs. Thank goodness we had made those visits to the store. In fact, dinner was delightful. Perhaps the best part was watching Lluis eat the forbidden jalapinos that he complained of while enjoying Jenni’s unhealthy salad dressing. The result was a late, fabulous dinner enjoyed in wonderful company. It does not get much better and how can we ever forget the delights of feasting on a Spanish (Catalonia) omelette.
Had we not known better, we might have thought it was the 'black sheep' leading the flock.
"Sergi? Tell me it's possible to make a Spanish omelette this big?" (Lluis, the chef, on left.)
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